5) What You Leave Behind
There was a, to put it scientifically, shitload of loose strings that had to be tied up in the Deep Space Nine finale. How would the Dominion War end? Who would finally get to kill Gul Dukat? What would become of Odo and Kira's relationship? What sort of tragedy would befall the Siskos? How many times could Ira Steven Behr reference the Alamo? And so on. Fortunately, the answers to these questions were full of the darkness and complexity that became the series' calling card. There's been some bitching about the fact that Captain Sisko didn't die in the finale (a decision that Avery Brooks played a crucial role in making), but in my opinion the only real complaint to be lobbied about how DS9 wrapped up involves Worf becoming a Federation ambassador. If I could make a nerdy nitpick here, it would have made much more sense to give him his own command due to the fact that Starfleet was nearly decimated and probably in need of good captains. With that said, if you'll excuse me I have to dust my collectibles.

4) In the Pale Moonlight
The episode that gave birth to the awesome It's a Fake meme, "In the Pale Moonlight" is Ben Sisko's journey into Heart of Darkness territory. While recording a personal log, the good Captain relates the toll that his attempts to get the Romulans to join the Federation in their battle against the Dominion has taken. From compromising his most basic values to turning a blind eye to Garak's murderous ways, Sisko reveals that he hasn't so much danced with the devil as done an all-night lambada with evil in order to accomplish his mission. After releasing the weight from his shoulders by clearing his conscience, he shakingly tries to convince himself that he can live with his actions before deleting the log for good. In the process, viewers are given insight into the secret burden that military men must face in wartime -- a message that seems even more timely now than it did during its original airing in 1998.

3) The Way of the Warrior
The introduction of Worf onto the show created friction amongst Trekkies who moaned that his addition was nothing more than a shameful ratings grab that would take screen time away from other characters. Instead, what really happened was that Worf was given a more of a chance to develop than he ever had on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Of course, none of this was clear from his initial DS9 outing -- which was too busy concerning itself with ass-kicking action sequences and Klingon madness to do much of anything. Come for the groundwork for future episodes that is laid out here, but stay for the glorious Mek'leth-inflicted mayhem.

2) Trials and Tribble-ations
Remember how awesome it was in Back to the Future II when Marty McFly interacted with scenes from the first flick? With that technology perfected, the producers of Deep Space Nine decided to utilize it to place their characters into "The Trouble with Tribbles." Sure, it's gimmicky as all hell. Yet seeing the DS9 cast in classic Starfleet uniforms interacting with Spock and company from one of the original series' most iconic episodes is nothing short of squee-inducing. The best bit? Tough call, but I'm going with Worf's pained reaction to the question about why old-school Klingons look so different from him.

1) The Visitor
This episode was featured on my list of Nerdy Moments Guaranteed to Make You Cry and it rightfully appears here as well because it gets to the heart of what Star Trek is ultimately supposed to be about: the human condition. After the unexpected death of his father, Jake spends a lifetime figuring out how the boy that he was can be reunited with the dad that he so desperately needed. For those unfamiliar or unwilling to watch Deep Space Nine, check out this episode and you'll see that at its core "The Visitor" is not about technobabble or sci-fi. It is a story about love, loss and self-sacrifice that is so powerful that it transcends its genre trappings and becomes television that is truly universally relatable. Watch it, and prepare to be devastated by its beauty.

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It was so gritty and action oriented, it had a sort of swashbuckling "Star Wars" side to it.

It showed the federation not as this ivory tower of 100% goodness but as a cornered animal willing to do anything to survive even if it was "the wrong" thing to do. I feel like the message is even more resounding today post 9/11. This "world police" organization sacrificing its ideals to combat a foe with suicidal foot soldiers.

Your list isn't the list I would have put together (you missed the Ferengi vs. Iggy Pop episode) but those aren't bad eps you listed.

My main gripes with DS9 are A. it took a couple years to get going. The first couple seasons were pretty weak. B. lack of sex appeal. Dax was kind of hot but Kira was this obnoxious butch woman. They should have just imported ensign Rho from NG, she was basically the same character but I thought she was more convincing. Even better would have been that little blond ripper Bajoran Picard sent off to die. C. I never really liked Odo. He seemed like a pretty weak Data copy and never really piqued my interest.

Still though, its kind of the neglected/forgotten Trek series and I think it deserves way more props than it gets.

Avery Brooks (Captain Sisko) and Tony Todd (Jake) are simply both underestimated, but great actors who turn the screen to life, with their immense ability to draw you into the emotion of the storylines of this epic episode, to such effect that you will shed tears, it's no joke!

You just have to throw away your prejudices and watch this classic episode.

Avery Brooks who has an awesome presence, whenever he's acting deserves much more, as he has not been on the film set or the TV set, since 2001.

Avery Brooks' presence on DS9 made it, evidently (by the amount of praise on this site and many Star Trek forums), the best Star Trek series, ever.

Sure DS9 was overshadowed by TNG, but come on, Voyager was terrible. DS9 featured better acting, better story lines, and more relevance to the Star Trek universe. Don't get me wrong, I liked Voyager, but only because I was already a Trek fan; if I Voyager was the first Star Trek series I ever watched, I probably would have never watched any others. On my Netflix account, TNG is rated 4 (only because I couldn't give it 4.5...I'm very stingy with my 5 star Netflix ratings), DS9 is rated at a firm 4, and Voyager is a 3. Let's also not forget Enterprise, which was clearly the worst of all Star Trek franchises. Enterprise is not rated on my Netflix only because I couldn't even finish the 2nd season, and I don't feel I can justify a ranking if I don't watch all the episodes.

I've just finnished watching DS9 for the first time (I'm new in the star trek universe). My favorite characters are Dax and Worf and my favorite episodes in random order are:DuetBlood OathThe House of QuarkThe Way of the WarriorSons of MoghTo the DeathThe ShipLooking for Par'Mack in all the wrong placesTrials and Tribble-ationsIn Purgatory's Shadow / By inferno's LightSoldiers of the EmpireCall to ArmsA Time to StandSacrifices of the AngelsYou are Cordially invitedOne Little ShipChange of HeartIn the Pale Moonlight

It was very hard to narrow it down, I enjoyed the whole series exept the last season. I didn't like the finale very much.

DuetWhispersThe WireDefiantPast Tense 1 & 2Improbable CauseThe Die Is CastShakaarThe AdversaryThe Way Of The Warrior 1&2The VisitorHomefrontParadise LostHard TimeTo The DeathTrials And Tribble-ationsRaptureFor The UniformIn Purgatory's ShadowBy Inferno's LightChildren Of TimeCall To ArmsFavor The BoldSacrifice Of AngelsFar Beyond The StarsIn The Pale MoonlightTreachery, Faith, and the Great RiverWhat You Leave Behind

and a lot of quality episodes not inlciuded here...Definitely my favorite Trek, followed by TNG, TOS, VOY and ENT

Oh shoot, one last favorite I just saw on the Netflix interface: Hard Time - O'Brien is given the memories of being in prison for 18 years and has to adapt to living on the station again, but he's only been gone for a few days.Colm Meaney's acting in this is so suberp! I remember how he got caught hiding some of his dinner from Keiko, so he could eat it later. So subtle and timid, totally believable.

I'll agree with another commenter on some other favorites:"Second Skin" where Kira wakes up as a Cardassian.Also, "Duet", where Kira interrogates a Cardassian war criminal and gets the tables turned on her, "HOW MANY CARDASSIANS DID _YOU_ KILL?!!!""Little Green Men" is mentioned here, where Quark, Odo and company get stuck back in time (somehow on Earth) and become the Roswell Aliens.And "Ascent," where Quark and Odo have to climb a freezing mountain to send a rescue signal and Odo starts to physically break down and then emotionally break down because he's too prideful to let Quark see him like that.Good stuff!

Now that DS9 is on Netflix Streaming, I Googled "Best Episodes of Deepspace Nine" and found this page. I re-watched the premiere and was expecting to see a scene I thought I remembered but it never came, if anyone remembers this, please let me know.

Isn't there a scene where Picard tells off Sisko, who's giving him major attitude, and says something to the effect of, "Are you waiting for me to apologize to you for what happened at Wolf 359?!" And Sisko says, "No..., —" and Picard cuts him off and says, "Good! Because that's never going to happen! Dismissed!"

Or did I just imagine that epic scene?

I thought it came during the premeire, but maybe it comes later in the series?

I forgot that it was named, "The Visitor" and was so disappointed for a moment that you forgot the, "Jake spends his life hunting down his Dad" episode. But then I read the description and realized we agreed on the best episode ever. It is HEART BREAKING. I was sobbing gobs of tears the first time I saw it and I think it's made me cry on on at least one syndicated viewing. INCREDIBLE storyline, perfectly written, directed and acted.

Why would Bashir, who is presumably British (as British as one can be in a world of interstellar governments), reference the Alamo? Especially considering we (Americans) were the bad guys in the war wtih Mexico! (The war began because Mexicans abolished slavery. For some reason Americans still hate Haiti.)

That aside, it's really depressing to watch DS9, knowing the next two Trek spinoffs will suck long and hard more than a female hologram.

RunnerX13, I prefer to call The V-Word Series the b*stard child of the Trekverse. So many great ideas... wasted so horribly. And for missing eps on this list, I add in "Inter Arnim Leges Silent". Didn't think I'd like it, from the previews. Can't get enough of it, now.

I definitely agree with the Visitor as #1, it's an incredible episode that transcends star trek and science fiction and very much surpasses Tapestry and The Inner Light (two episodes with very emotional themes). In the Pale Moonlight should be #2 though and it could easily contest for #1. My biggest issues with the list are that way of the warrior and trials and tribble-ations are in no way top 10 material, Crossover I would say isn't either. The list snubs The Siege of AR-558, Rapture, and The Wire. I would also argue that either In Purgatory's Shadow or By Inferno's Light has a place as well.

OK, we get it. Deep Space Nine was set on a space station. Babylon 5 was also set on a space station. We get it. Can we move on and not constantly feel the need to compare them rather than enjoy each of them in their own right?

DS9's Mirror/Mirror episodes were crap. And The Visitor was all right, but only showed how little pre-planning went into effect on the show. Actually, my friend pointed out how if you watch The Visitor it tells us how Sisko is both responsible for Jadzia's death and the invasion of the Alpha Quadrant. After all, neither happened while Ben Sisko was dead...

The ds9 finale was bad, really. Avery Brooks, who I otherwise respect deeply, changed Sisko's ending himself, for the worse, they never settled whether Bajor joined the Federation, they wasted a good couple of minutes on one of those terrible songs, and Jadzia didn't appear in the flashback montage, because they couldn't be bothered to phone Terry Farrell's agent.

Th Sisko against Dukat fight was a silly anticlimax too, but they had already derailed Dukat's character so much by that point.

Great list! Only thing I could add is "In the Cards". But, uhh, as you can see by my profile pic, I might be a lil bit bias when sports cards come up, lol. It was still as excellent as lighthearted Trek episodes get though, regardless of the MacGuffin.

Also, Sisko is the best captain ever. Always happy to see the love for the baddest badass that Star Trek has to offer. :)

When I heard yesterday that Jeff Conaway had passed, it made me reflect on the amount of Babylon 5 actors who're gone...and the Trek actors who're still here! After 45 years of Trek, we've only lost a few main actors (Jimmy and De) and a handful of supporting actors (Mark Leonard.) Of course, we can add Andreas to the list of Trek-supporting...

Good lord I love this show, from the first episode to the last. It is, by leaps and bounds, my favorite Trek show and possibly my favorite sci-fi show. Hell, my favorite show full stop. I cried when it was over, not only because it was sad, but because I was going to miss the characters so much.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry (Chapel, the original Number 1, Lwaxana Troi) and the voice of the computer in gobs of episodes) and Jeffery Hunter (Captain Pike). A nod to Merritt Butrick, too, since he was in two movies and one TNG episode.